Forum with Frist addresses government's role in funding research

Three of state's top Republicans offer viewpoints

2:56 AM,
Jan. 17, 2013

Written by

Chas Sisk
| The Tennessean

Three of the state's top Republicans at a forum Wednesday morning at Vanderbilt University put in plugs for university research but differed on the types of projects that should receive government funding.

In a panel discussion, Gov. Bill Haslam, Sen. Lamar Alexander and former Sen. Bill Frist said they support government grants to research universities, such as Vanderbilt and the University of Tennessee. But they offered different views on whether government should throw its money behind projects that may not lead to immediate benefits.